Flexures are used to connect two members of a system between which a relatively small movement is required. This method of construction has a great advantage of simplicity, coupled with complete freedom from friction and backlash, which are very detrimental to the performance of said system.
The great advantage of the flexure lies in the absence of sliding parts. Consequently, there is no need of lubrication. Neither friction nor wear occur, and dirt, if any, does not cause trouble.
The use of an arrangement in which the shaft, drawbar and restoring spring are essentially one, minimizes any relative positional change during and after operation.
In recent years, with the development of computer controlled numeric machines, a great need has arisen for very accurate spindles for use in drilling, milling, grinding, dicing, and other machining-type operations. With the greater use of new types of cutting materials such as tungsten carbide, aluminum oxide, and other ceramics which are now being utilized in cutting tools, increasingly higher speeds are desired. However, most, if not all of these new materials are brittle, and therefore it is desirable to minimize any shock associated with high speed rotating cutting tools.
The desirability of obtaining the lowest possible tool shock and high accuracy dictates a spindle design which obtains and maintains an accurate axis of rotation which does not deviate during operation. Low spindle vibration is also desirable for the same reasons.
Further details of these and other novel features of the invention including, for example, its structural and method cooperation with the other system embodiments, as well as additional objects and advantages of the invention and their principles of operation will become apparent and be best understood from a consideration of the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which is presented by way of an illustrative example only.